UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (PSEAS) held its annual awards ceremony on June 12 at the State Theatre, building on its 54-year tradition of honoring excellence among engineering faculty, staff and alumni through the PSEAS awards. The award recipients were recognized in the categories of teaching, research, advising and service.
“The recipients of the PSEAS awards exemplify what it means to pursue excellence and accelerate impact in all aspects of their work,” said Eric Donnell, senior associate dean of the College of Engineering. “Their contributions to teaching, research, advising and service strengthen the college, and we are grateful that these awardees are part of the Penn State engineering community.”
The 2026 PSEAS award winners are listed below.
Dean’s Circle of Excellence Award: recognizes staff members who have a proven track record of performing at the highest levels of administrative excellence.
- Melissa Fink, department head staff assistant, engineering science and mechanics
Distinguished Service Award: recognizes and honors alumni, friends or current or former faculty who have donated their time, expertise and/or energies to a department within the college.
- Mike Edwards, Penn State Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Society president and alumnus, bachelor of science, 1980, master of business administration, 1985
Outstanding Advising Award: recognizes and rewards outstanding advisers of engineering undergraduate and graduate students.
- Andrea Argüelles, associate professor and associate department head, engineering science and mechanics
- Amir Sheikhi, associate professor, chemical engineering, and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering
- Ryan Solnosky, teaching professor, architectural engineering
Outstanding Research Award: recognizes and rewards outstanding engineering researchers for accomplishments in advancing the frontiers of knowledge.
- Aida Ebrahimi, Thomas and Sheila Roell Early Career Associate Professor, electrical engineering
- Ibrahim Ozbolat, professor, engineering science and mechanics
- Dipanjan Pan, Huck Chair and professor, nuclear engineering
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Abhronil Sengupta, associate professor, electrical engineering and computer science
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Julian Wang, professor, architectural engineering
Outstanding Staff Award: recognizes outstanding performance of a staff member.
- Sue Barger, education program specialist, Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization
- Lea Caprio, administrative manager, mechanical engineering
- Tabitha McKean, academic adviser, advising and global programs
Outstanding Teaching Award: recognizes and rewards outstanding engineering educators for excellence in teaching and for contributions to the art of teaching.
- Ahmed Khalafallah, the Beavers Charitable Trust and Allan Myers Professor of Civil Construction Engineering and Management, civil and environmental engineering
- Sarah Ritter, associate director of engineering design and teaching professor, School of Engineering Design and Innovation
- Linxiao Zhu, associate professor, mechanical engineering
Rising Star Award: recognizes an individual who shows great promise in their position and has demonstrated exceptional job performance.
- Kayla Walk, undergraduate academic program coordinator, chemical engineering
Spirit Award: honors a staff member who displays a positive and enthusiastic attitude and who has promoted a spirit of cooperation and collegiality in their work unit and the college.
- Denise Murphy, administrative support assistant, advising and global programs
Staff Innovation Award: recognizes a staff member who has used creativity appropriately to develop new and/or improved processes, methods, systems, products or services and encouragedothers to do the same.
- Julia Nash, administrative support assistant, engineering science and mechanics
Staff Leadership Award: recognizes a staff member who has shown outstanding levels of leadership and teamwork in the workplace.
- Karen Marsala, academic records manager, advising and global programs
Premier Research Award: recognizes and rewards an individual whose contributions to scientific knowledge through research are exemplary and internationally acclaimed.
- Swaroop Ghosh, professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Premier Teaching Award: recognizes and rewards individuals whose contributions to engineering education or the art of teaching are of exceptional quality.
- Saptarshi Das, Ackley Professor of Engineering Science, engineering science and mechanics
World-Class Engineering Faculty Award: recognizes a faculty member who embodies the seven characteristics of the world-class engineer — grounded in fundamentals; broad in understanding other disciplines; globally engaged; ethical; innovative; collaborative; and a leader in their profession — in all of their activities including teaching, research and service.
- James Freihaut, professor, architectural engineering
Lawrence J. Perez Memorial Student Advocate Award: recognizes a faculty member who contributes to the welfare of students and enriches the college by their willingness to devote significant time and effort to assist students with academic and/or personal problems.
- Cindy Reed, director of graduate and postdoctoral equity and associate teaching professor, Center for Engineering Outreach and Inclusion
The PSEAS works to promote and improve engineering programs in multiple ways and hosts multiple events, including the College of Engineering Alumni Tailgate, which will be held on Sept. 4 on the West Campus quad. More information, including a registration link, can be found here. To get involved with PSEAS, email alumni@engr.psu.edu.